Out Of Reach
by teamginger
Summary: I felt like when Clarke was comforting Lexa about her nightmares in 3.06, it seemed like they had been in that situation before, so I wrote the times that Clarke comforted Lexa :)
The first time she caught Lexa in a nightmare, it was by accident. Clarke hadn't meant to go into the Commander's bedroom at all, but one of the younger Nightbloods had told her that the Commander had requested her presence.

When she approached the bedroom door, the guards stepped aside without a word. It made her feel dignified, important. However, when she entered the room, Lexa was curled up in a lounge chair, obviously asleep. Clarke knew she should leave, but the idea of seeing Lexa's face unembellished by the day-to-day stress of keeping her emotions under lock and key was too tempting to resist.

As she drew closer, she noticed that even in her sleep, Lexa was guarded. Her delicate, yet deadly hands, were balled into fists, and she was curled up to protect her vulnerable places. There was no peacefulness about her whatsoever, but she looked gentler in her sleep. Clarke was reminded of the time that they kissed, how soft Lexa's eyes had looked and how tender her hand had been as it cupped her jaw...

Suddenly, Lexa stirred in her sleep, and Clarke stepped back. At first, nothing came of it, so Clarke let her guard back down. Seconds later, Lexa awoke with a start, clutching at empty air and searching the room for a threat until her eyes landed on Clarke.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be here," Clarke said quickly. It dawned on her that Lexa had never sent for her in the first place. "I didn't realise you were sleeping."

Lexa looked her up and down, but said nothing. Clarke's stomach dropped. It wasn't often that she admitted this, but she knew she was in the wrong.

"Lexa...," Clarke said slowly, tentatively. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lexa insisted, though it sounded more like she was convincing herself rather than Clarke. Now it was Clarke's turn to give Lexa a hard look. "It was just a nightmare, nothing to get worked up about."

"What was it about?" Clarke pressed, taking a step back to where Lexa was still sitting. Something in Lexa stirred.

"That is none of your business," Lexa contended, her expression becoming guarded once more. "You are dismissed, Ambassador."

Her words stung, but Clarke knew that she was right. Without another word, she left.

The second time it happened, it was after a training session with Aden. Lexa had come to Clarke's room after Aden had bested her in a sparring session. Her wounds weren't anything to be concerned about, but Clarke had insisted on looking after them.

By the time that Clarke had finished rubbing a salve on the scrapes on Lexa's hands and knees, she noticed that the Commander was fast asleep. Clarke hadn't forgotten the last time that she had been in the Commander's presence while she was asleep, but the circumstances were different this time.

Due to their close proximity, Clarke couldn't leave without Lexa noticing, and she didn't want to wake her. She had suspected for a while that Lexa wasn't getting enough sleep with her late nights and early mornings, so it was important that she got some rest. In the meantime, Clarke took to tending to her own wounds that had gone unnoticed for the past week or so.

Once again, Lexa didn't wake up gracefully. She nearly punched Clarke until she took in the situation for what it was.

"Hey, it's okay," Clarke said quickly, setting the salve on the floor and placing her hand on Lexa's shoulder.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep," Lexa said abashedly. "You should've woken me."

"I figured you could use the sleep," Clarke explained. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"

Lexa paused, considering whether or not to expose herself to Clarke. Finally, she relented and her body sagged as she let out a heavy sigh.

"No, I suppose not," Lexa agreed reluctantly. "I keep having these nightmares."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Clarke asked, knowing better than to blatantly ask what the nightmares were about.

"I can't," Lexa protested. "Not yet anyways."

Clarke nodded, respecting her friend's privacy. Lexa abruptly left shortly afterwards.

The next time Lexa had a nightmare, Clarke wasn't there when she woke up. It was the dead of night when Lexa came into Clarke's room holding a candle.

"Lexa?" Clarke mumbled sleepily. "What is it?"

"I had another nightmare," Lexa said candidly. "I am sorry to have woken you- I didn't know what else to do. I can leave if you do not wish-"

"No, it's fine," Clarke replied. Patting the empty space beside her in her bed, she invited Lexa over.

Lexa set the candle down on a table with some others, and sat down beside Clarke. She didn't get under the covers, because that would be too intimate, but she was already feeling at ease in the other girl's presence.

"I've been seeing those who have lost their lives at my hand," Lexa explained. "I want to believe that blood must not have blood, but what of those who have been sacrificed already? What of your Finn?"

In all honesty, Clarke hadn't thought of Finn in a while, but the idea of his death being in vain still hurt her.

"Hey," Clarke said softly, taking Lexa's hand. "They didn't die for nothing. That was your justice system then, this is your justice system now."

"But what if it doesn't work?" Lexa fretted. It was unusual to see her this insecure, and Clarke appreciated that the Commander felt comfortable enough in her presence to be so vulnerable. "They'll dethrone me, Clarke."

"They already tried that, remember?" Clarke reminded her. "And you showed them that you are more than capable of being the leader that they need. They won't question your authority again."

Dropping her shoulders, Lexa nodded with a renewed confidence.

"Goodnight, Clarke," Lexa said, shifting to get out of Clarke's bed when Clarke reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"You can stay," Clarke offered. "If you want."

Lexa looked down at the bed, and then at Clarke. The idea of sharing a bed was enticing, but the Commander knew better than to over impose.

"Another time," Lexa suggested, leaving the room.

Clarke rolled over in bed to find Lexa curled up at the very edge of the mattress. Her body twitched every now and then, and by this point, Clarke didn't have to wake Lexa to know that she was having a nightmare.

She inched towards Lexa and wrapped her arms around her midsection. Lexa rolled over and looked at Clarke with round watery eyes. Nothing was said between them, but Clarke pressed a kiss to the Commander's forehead.


End file.
